The 2023-24 NBA season tipped off on Tuesday night in Denver, as the Nuggets received their championship rings and squared off with the Lakers in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals.
Much like how that series went, the game was back-and-forth until it wasn’t, as Denver seized control in the fourth quarter as Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and the Nuggets starting lineup dominated, scoring 21 points in a six minute stretch to ice the game, turning a 4-point lead into a 14-point edge with two minutes to play. It was not just a satisfying end to ring night for the Nuggets, but a rather emphatic statement to the Lakers and the rest of the league that they were not going have much of a championship hangover.
It was also a disappointing showing from the Lakers, who struggled in the fourth quarter despite declaring they were very much getting up for facing Denver after all the talk in the offseason — with Anthony Davis in particular being on the end of lots of jokes after he went scoreless in the second half. The Lakers took some offense to the Nuggets post-title victory lap, with coach Michael Malone leading the charge. Prior to his incredibly drunken parade speech, Malone was introduced as “the Lakers daddy” by Denver TV host Vic Lombardi, and as the fourth quarter wound down on Tuesday, Nuggets fans broke into a “Who’s Your Daddy?” chant at the Lakers.
Jamal Murray was at the scorer’s table when the chant broke out and had an incredible reaction once he figured out what fans were yelling, before pointing at Malone and making sure he knew this was his fault.
“This is you! This is your fault!” 🤣
Jamal Murray called out Coach Malone when Nuggets fans chanted “Who’s your daddy” during their win over LA. pic.twitter.com/lVepdSmN3V
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 25, 2023
Nuggets players, wisely, have tried to distance themselves from all of that talk, with Murray noting to Malone in the clip that they have to go deal with those guys on the court. However, Malone wasn’t afraid to prod the Lakers and now Nuggets fans have a new favorite chant for when L.A. is in town, with full faith Murray, Jokic, and company can cash the checks they’re writing.
